In a recent interview, you mentioned that you once sought to buy your own coffin. How did you end up taking that step?
I was frustrated. It was the highest level of frustration because imagine a young man of my age then; I was in my late 20s, and I could not even afford to eat once in a day. People kept saying all sorts: that guy is lazy, he doesn’t want to work, he left teaching service for something uncertain; leaving certainty for uncertainty. I was ferociously frustrated, and I thought the only thing I could do was to get rid of myself. That was the level of frustration then. But fortunately, Pa Olatunbosun Odunsi—he’s actually my boss; I trained under him—got to know about what I wanted to do, and he called me. He asked me to come. The man is still alive, so all I said in that interview can be verified. It is nothing but the truth. After narrating my frustration to him, he took me hunting at night. When we got to the bush, he sat me down and started counselling and encouraging me.
Apart from him talking to you and you making the decision to do better, what other steps brought you out of that phase?
What really got me angry was the fact that I had some series on television—at NTA 12—and I thought I could get the little money we were being paid. We were being paid N500 per episode. And I had over N6,500 with them because I was actually running a weekly programme with them. At the end of the day, they would be telling you no money, and they started paying in bits instead of the whole amount. Out of about 16 episodes, they could give you payment for just two. So, it got to a stage where I was seriously frustrated.
When baba counselled me and told me a lot of things, I decided that I would keep moving. I even started taking jobs I ordinarily wouldn’t take. I took them not for the money but for the sake of pushing myself forward.
That is what led to me participating in Ti Oluwa N’ile in 1993.
However, the incident I was referring to (in that interview) actually happened in the 80s. Ordinarily, I won’t go to any location to beg for a job. If I go there and I’m not given a role to play, I would just leave. I won’t lobby or beg. But, at a point, I started trying to lobby, making them believe I could do it even better than those being cast. As God would have it, I had my breakthrough at the end of the day.
There is a recurring debate in the industry over how well actors should be paid, especially veterans. What is your thought on this issue?
It is not peculiar to this industry alone. I am not encouraging exploitation, neither do I want people to cheat anybody. I don’t want anybody to be cheated. At the same time, you have to pay your dues. I paid my dues then. Those people who are shortchanged or not being paid well have options because the industry is so broad now. You don’t need to rely solely on a particular area of theatre arts, compared to those days when the only thing you could make money from was acting. But today, a lot of people go into other departments of theatre practice.
You can choose to become a musical artist today and you’ll be paid because you are needed. You can choose to be a cameraman or a technical person. All people care about is being known. Everybody wants to act; even those who cannot act. Instead of discovering where their true potential lies, they just want to go into acting because they want to be famous.
If you discover yourself and know what you are doing, I don’t think there is any need for anybody to cheat or exploit you. I am not saying that when you get into any department of theatre I have mentioned, you will be paid handsomely. But when you are good at what you do, you become an authority.
Nollywood veterans often complain about lack of respect and limited roles, while some also return to the industry after long breaks. What is your view on veterans who step away and later come back when the industry is thriving?
Why did they leave in the first instance? For the veteran actors who are trying to come back now, the truth is that they cannot compete with those who have decided to stay there perpetually. It will be difficult for them to flush those people out. So when you come back, it’s like starting all over again. Nobody will say you’ve been there before. I don’t subscribe to their complaints.
Those who say they have been in the system for 20 or 40 years won’t tell you they were away for about 30 years without practising. It would be wrong of me to say I’ve been in the industry since 1982 if I had left in 1987 or 1988 then came back in 2020. I can’t claim that I’ve been in the system for 44 years. What about the 30 years I was away? Who will account for that?
Some people leave the industry, and when they see others making money from it, they return, claiming that they had been there for 40, 44 or 50 years. What about the years they left for others to take over? Do you think you can come back and force them out? The only thing that is constant is change. If you are in a system and you are passionately in love with it, you have to be there consistently.
If you eventually succeed, it is because you have taken the route of due process. That is the investment. You cannot have a lackadaisical attitude towards what you are doing and expect results. It is not possible.
What advice do you have for people in the entertainment industry as regards knowing when to move and when to stay?
Entertainment is not something you can monopolise. People come and go. It’s not a job that lasts forever, and that’s the bitter truth. Some people have “unusual grace” like Ebenezer Obey, Sunny Ade. But tell me another 10 people like them and I will show you 100 that are no more, even though they are still living.
So, when you have the opportunity or something coming in for you, make sure you utilise it quickly, so you would have something to fall back on. That is my advice. Also, if you are in this profession and you see that things are not forthcoming, don’t stay there too long before you take a decision.
